Shrink

19

"Doctor Brennan, I'm gonna need you to look at this," said Daisy, holding up one of the ribs.
There was a period of silence while she looked over whatever Daisy was showing her.
"Ms Antoine has already pointed out these fractures, Ms Wick," said Doctor Brennan dryly.
I internally released a prayer thanking her.
"But that's the thing, I don't think these are related to childbirth," said Daisy, holding up the ribs closer to each other. "I found corresponding fractures on the vertebrae. I believe the victim was crushed while lying on her stomach."
There was a much heavier pause as Doctor Brennan reassessed the remains.
There was a small sigh.
"I concur."
Daisy grinned sweetly. "I knew all you needed was a third set of eyes, one with an outsider judgement and who isn't so close to the case."
I froze.
"You mean one who hasn't been pregnant?" I asked tersely, clawing at the cuffs of my lab coat.
Daisy nodded enthusiastically.
"My condolences, by the way."
I turned and left without saying anything, leaving my wheelie chair spinning empty before I crossed the small chamber to throttle her. I found myself storming down the hall and out the doors to the area open to the public. Spinning around, I saw several people giving me strange looks, but when I didn't find the face I wanted to punch concave, I ripped my phone from its pocket.
I had dialled about a third of his number before stopping myself, and then hung up after redialling.
I wanted to scream.
I finally turned heel and stalked back. I headed for a different autopsy room, however, and turned on the disused lights, revealing the small form on the table, curled in on itself.
No one had had the heart to remove the flesh yet, and yet here I was. I wanted to take care of it before Daisy got her hands on it.
Working carefully, I pulled out a voice recorder and hit the small red button as I began my preliminaries.
"Victim is a newborn infant, less than 50 centimetres tall. Pubic bones suggest male, blood tests confirm that Jane Doe is in fact his mother."
I pressed the stop button, and stood up. I held a hand over my trembling mouth, and took a deep breath before moving to set up the boiler.
***
Using thongs, I removed the minuscule and eggshell fragile bones from the roiling water, placing them anatomically on the autopsy table.
The skeleton was easier to look at directly.
Hands on my knees, I started anew.
***
After two hours of looking and carefully inspecting every single delicate white bone, every sampled piece of flesh, I found cause of death.
His lungs showed an excess of carbon dioxide and dead lung tissue.
Cause of death: asphyxiation, I scrawled in my notes.
"Excuse me?"
I jumped, swallowing a scream.
A stocky security guard smiled apologetically as he tapped his watch, and disappeared again.
I checked my own watch and gasped.
No wonder I was so tired.
It was a quarter to midnight, and I had spent the past five hours overseeing the proper undertaking of the baby boy's study, the hours leading up to that, sitting like a livid gargoyle in the corner after having been booted as the second set of hands on the woman's case.
I wanted to strangle that Daisy.
I sighed, feeling deflated at the sudden rush of emotions Daisy's appearance had wrought on me.
I also wanted to kill Sweets.
However, I needed a good long sleep.
Closing up shop, I dragged myself back to the hotel, and into bed.
I lay staring at the ceiling restlessly, twisting to find a comfortable position, and finally wrenching the sheets off in one go. I felt a small pool of betrayal start to expand in my chest, and soon, I was heaving with anxiety and insecurity of a new breed.
I finally fell asleep in a tiny ball, clutching my empty belly.
***
I woke to my alarm, and fell off the disorderly bed. I contemplated the half-off fitted sheet, the pillows, blankets and comforter all in a swathe at my feet.
I didn't want to go.
However, I sucked up my pride as I had once done with my courage not too long ago, and dressed in a pair of khakis and a tee shirt, pinning my loose hair behind my ears. I picked up a bagel from the assorted breakfast downstairs, and left, carrying my notes and books like a teen on her way to school.
I entered the building, and had barely pushed open the doors to the morgue when I was pounced upon.
All my books hit the floor as I threw the first thing in my hands at the perpetrator, and heard a dull thud as my bagel hit its mark before bouncing messily on the floor.
Sweets ignored my breakfast attack, and dove right in.
"You called me," he said.
"Good morning," I huffed as I held myself together, trying to recover my notes and numerous books with now damaged spines.
"You called me, Papillon," restated Sweets. "are you okay?"
I sighed. My impulses were often far and few between, but it was usually very difficult to escape the consequences.
"I'm fine, Sweets," I sighed.
I rubbed at my eyes.
"You didn't sleep well?"
"Oh, no this is my optimal form, I have evolved into my full potential: insomniac grad student."
Sweets smiled slightly, and trashed my bagel before walking with me down the hall.
Before reaching my door, Sweets stopped me.
"Wanna get lunch at the cafeteria later?" he asked.
I gave myself pause, nibbling my lip as I contemplated the consequences.
"Or," offered Sweets. "we can eat someplace else."
It was just like him, reading my mind.
I grinned despite myself.